“Church happens everywhere that authentic community emerges. That’s what we realized the night we created the Front Porch. We were just sitting there, watching the musicians in The Continental Club get into it with the crowd, really playing and listening, and it just hit us. This. This is church.“

–Front Porch Director, Stephen Kinney

How We Do Church… and More!

Pub Church (Public-House-Church)

The Front Porch public-house-church, or Pub Church for short, meets most Sunday evenings at 5:30 PM in the back room at Scholz Garten. Each gathering focuses on a conversation led by notable Austin voices, rather than a sermon. Once our topic for the evening has been opened up by our guest(s), a roving microphone is passed around so our congregation can join in. Each gathering is tied together at the end by live music from a local artist and a radically open communion service from Front Porch director, Stephen Kinney.

Front Porch Special Events

Front Porch Special Events are once-in-a-lifetime, and pop up in venues all over Austin. They emerge when someone comes to us with an idea for a timely, happening conversation that we can’t resist producing. While our format for these often goes back to a similar template– an interview with an Austin reporter, a Q&A with audience members or a panel discussion, and a reception with food, drink, live music, and perhaps a book signing– Front Porch Special Events have no set rules. They are always open to the spirit, and often include something never done before or since. Check out this video of our Easter Vigil to get the idea.

Unplugged on The Front Porch

Unplugged on The Front Porch is our signature concert series. It happens four times a year at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, usually on a Thursday evening. While it sometimes serves as a benefit for another local nonprofit agency, Unplugged on The Front Porch’s main goal is patronizing our local artists. Each Unplugged on The Front Porch sends the performing artist home with a minimum paycheck of $1,000, and also employs local techies and roadies in the process.

The Window

The Window is our service vehicle for teens. Simply put, we organize a number of outreach events each year, and encourage our ever-growing base of teens to attend. While some events push our youth intentionally out of their comfort zones, others are just plain fun. And all of them encourage our young people to live a service-based lifestyle. All beliefs and backgrounds are welcome!

Contact Riley Webb at riley@windowaustin.org to get added to The Window’s email list!

What’s New?

Front Porch Podcast, Porch Talk

Front Porch conversations are now being recorded and uploaded to SoundCloud! Please follow us at this link! There, you can check out our new podcast, Porch Talk, and more as we populate this new page!

Pub Space

After many talks and conversations, we’ve decided it’s time for The Front Porch to buckle down and start our own brick-and-mortar public-house-church. One of the first in the U.S., this space will allow us to do all that we currently do and infinitely more, all with a central, physical space for folks to associate with our unique way of thinking and gathering. In the long run, this space will house our offices, a coffeeshop, an art gallery and bookstore, and a bar, complete with a performance space.

Our bar will often be tended by priests. Events we host can and will come from a panoply of perspectives. We will become embedded even further in Austin’s arts and social justice circles, all as a part of our mission to spotlight Christ’s emergence in every corner of our ever-changing world. And we’ll have great coffee, beer, pastries, tacos, and more to go with it.

If you’re interested in being an advisor as we prepare to make this transition, please email Riley Webb, The Front Porch’s Program Coordinator, at riley@frontporchaustin.org